January 2018 Writing Goals Review and February 2018 Writing Goals

Post date: 11th February 2018

I can’t believe that January is already over. It looks like 2018 will go as quickly as 2017 did. However, I hope I will do better with my goals this year. So, how did January go? It went okay, but it could have been a lot better.

So, what were my January writing goals? Well, my January writing goals were:

Writing Goal 1: Novel 4th draft – edit 50,000 wordsResult: I only managed to edit the first chapter, so nowhere near 50,000 words, but I’m happy I was able to complete something. Editing a novel requires a lot of brain power (well, that’s how it feels), and when I work on my novel, I’m often already brain drained from the work I’ve done before, such as the day job. Therefore, when I do edit my novel, I struggle to concentrate which slows down the process even more. I do need to do better, though; otherwise, I’ll still be working on this novel in 2028.

Writing Goal 2: Write my psychological horror novellaResult: I managed to write roughly 3355 words, which is one-tenth of the possible final word count, but it’s the most I’ve written for this novella in one month, so yay me. I write during the day because I’m at my most alert, but if I have work to do, I have to put the novella aside, sadly.

Writing Goal 3: Plan 2nd standalone novelResult: I made some notes and found my novel planning sheet that I used for my previous novel (forgot I had that), but that’s about it. I am, however, happy with my decision to work on the second standalone novel instead of my supernatural mystery series.

Writing Goal 4: Submit 3 short storiesResult: I submitted one short story, which was the main submission call that I wanted to submit to. I decided not to finish the other two short stories because I didn’t have much time to edit them properly before the deadline.

Writing Goal 5: Flash Fiction Collection – finalise 4 storiesResult: I didn’t finalise the four stories, but I did complete the second draft of one of the stories. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but I am glad that I did do something because I have neglected this project.

Writing Goal 6: OWG anthology – finalise one story/poemResult: I didn’t complete this goal, but I only have one draft left before the story is complete.

Writing Goal 7: Read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonResult: Finally, a goal I have achieved. I did finish reading this book, and I will be uploading my review of the book on my website soon.

Writing Goal 8: Read a short story – ‘The Happy Prince’ by Oscar WildeResult: Yep, I completed this goal too. It looks like I’m a lot better at doing my reading goals than my writing goals. I do read every night, though, so I suppose that helps.

So, now it’s February, it’s time to create some new writing goals.

My February Writing Goals

Novel 4th draft – edit 50,000 words

Write my psychological horror novella

Plan 2nd standalone novel

Submit 2 short stories

Flash Fiction Collection – finalise 2 stories

OWG anthology – finalise 2 story/poem

Read The Demon Lover by Dion Fortune

Read a short story – ‘The Magic Shop’ by H. G. Wells

While January didn’t go to plan, I’m pleased that I did manage to take some steps forward, even if they were only tiny steps – every step forward brings me closer to completing my goal. One of the reasons why I think I’m struggling to complete my goals is because I’m trying to do too much. So for February, I have decided to work on fewer stories, and if I’m still struggling to get things done, then I will do even less. I do have a wandering mind, which is why I can’t just focus on one project at a time, even though I really should. But I’m hoping I can do better with a reduced workload, fingers crossed.

How did you do in January? Feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear how everyone else is doing.

Keep writing, folks!

Oh, and before I go, if you want email alerts of my latest posts, then please subscribe. And don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter, or like my Facebook page.